Axle.



W. E. WISE.

AXLE. APPLICATION FILED ocr. 29. 1914.

Patented June 15, 1915.

igl /6 l /6 l 'n T0 all whom it may concern.' l

Be it known that I, ILLIAM E. WISE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Williamsport, county of Lycoming, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and mproved Axle, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

y invention relates to a vehicle axle of t e `type formed in sections, and adapted to be extended or contracted.

he invention is more particularly designed for use on the combination sleigh and Wheeled vehicle forming thesubject of an application for patent led by me December 29, 1913, Serial No. 809,234, in which sled runners are adapted to be lowered from desired to convert the vehicle into a sleigh. The desirability of providing an extensible vehicle axle is due to the fact that .t e gage of vehicle whe-els is, as a rule, considerably wider than .that of sleigh runners, and also vehicle wheels in different parts 'of the country particularly eX- e specific description followhe invention will be plained in th ing.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which:

l`igure l is a sectional rear elevation of an axle embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view on the line 2-2 Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3, Fig. l.

In constructing a practical embodiment of my, invention in accordance with the illustrated example, axle sections 10 are provided each being adapted to receive a running wheel 11. At the inner end of each section an offset element 12 is formed upon or secured to the section, and on `the offsets are formed racks 13. he racks overlap and are spaced to receive between them a pinion 14 meshing with both racks, so that by the turning of the pinion it maybe caused to move the racks inwardly or outv Specification of Letters Patent. Application led October 29, 1914. Serial No. 869,225.

Patented J une 15, 1915.

,wardly to carry the wheels 11 outward or mward as desired. The pinion 14 is actuated by a shaft 15 standing upwardly from the pmlon and provided at the upper end wlth a hand wheel 16 or equivalent formation to facilitate the turning of the shaft. Associated with the shaft 15 and the pinion are pins 17 w ich are united at the upper ends by a head 18 slidable on the shaft'l above' a collar 15a on the latter. The head elng adjacent to the hand wheel 16 of the sha t be readily grasped by the being a to receive the pins of the pinion.

lent means frictionally enax e section 10, and having a free end bearing agalnst the teeth of the opposite rack 3. as clearly shown in Fig. 2. f he axle sections 10 are of metal, and in order to strengthen the same, and also to afford guided movement therefor, to provide bearings and pinion 14, shaft 15, and the loc :ing pins 17, the axle may be built up as follows: On of each axle section lO a strip 20 of wood is secured as by vertical 21 and nuts 22, or other suitabl g means.

bar washer 25 joinstraps and held in position by nuts 25a. Within the casing 23 at the sides is a filler body of wood 28 which may be formed in sections to facilitate its application to the axle.

e axle sections 10 and their Wood strips have sliding movement in the wood body 8 and beneath the casing 23. In order to insure the smoot movement of the axle sections in the casing, wear plates 26 are secured to the top of each strip 20 between the same and the casing 23. The plates 26 may d in any suitable manner, there beas one example of means for the the casing purpose, bolts 27, the nuts 27l of which, at the underside of the a'xle sections 10, are accommodated in longitudinal slots 29 in the wood filling 28, at the underside of the axle. The slots 29 extend inwardly to a point short of the center, and at the center of the axle the wood filling 28 and the casing 23 are formed to accommodate the pinion 14 and to form bearings for the shaft 15 and guides for the pins 17 At the underside of the pinionrthe shaft 15 has a collar 30 resting on the illing 28 and a strengthening plate 31 is secured at the underside of said illing. The center of filling 28 has a bearing for the lower end of the shaft. It is to be understood that the vplates may be secured in any suitable manner. Above the pinion 14 the casing 23 may have secured thereto a plate 33 by` blocks 32, the said plate 33 overlying the pinion 14, and the shaft extends through 23 and through the plate 33, and bearings, and registering orifices are formed in the casing and the plate 33 to receive an guide the pins 17 in their vertical movement to release or engage the pinions 14.

Having thus described by invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by etters Patent, is: y

1. An axle comprising two sections each adapted to receive a wheel at the outer end, racks on the sections at the inner ends, a pinion meshing with the racks to slide the same and extend or contract the axle, a sha on which the pinion is mounted, means on the shaft to turn the same, and means for locking the pinion, the saidlocking means consisting of pins ranging alongside the shaft, and a head carrying ably mounted on the shaft adjacent the upper end thereof, t e said pinion having a series of holes to receive said pms.

said pins slid- 2. An axle comprising two sections adapted to receive wheels, racks rigid with the sections at the inner ends, a piiiion meshing with the racks to adjust the sections, means to turn the pinion, and spring means in frictional engagement with the racks to yieldingly resist movement thereof.

3. An axle comprising two'sections adapted,

to receive wheels, racks' rigid with the sections at the inner ends, a pinion mes the racks, means to turn the pinion, a filler body extending along the sides of both axle sections, said body bein longitudinally slotted at its ends, a metallic casing over the sides and top of said body, means uniting the sides of the casing the axle, strips secure to the upper sides of the axle sections to move therewith, wear plates over the sa'd strips and secured thereto between the same an the casing, and vertical bolts securing the said strips an wear plates, the bolts having nuts accommod dated in the slots of the body.`

4. An axle comprising two sections adapted to receive wheels, racks rigid with the sections `at the inner ends, a pinion meshing with the racks, a shaft on which the pinion is mounted, a filler body embracing the racks and having slots at the underside at each end, a casing surrounding the body, the casing having a plate at the center above the pinion and the said casing, and a plate below the ller body and forming a beal'ng for the lower end'of the shaft.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. ELLIS WISE Witnesses:

H. W. CoNNnLr., A. Morrison.

at the underside of hing with 

